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  “He said we had to case out the place. Said you might have some food or other stuff being sent somewhere. You wouldn’t notice a couple of, ouch, watch what you’re doin’. You nearly had my foot off.”

  “Shut up you moppet. Can’t you see he works here? He’ll call the coppers and then we’ll be for it. You’re simple you are. Touched in the head. No wonder yer ma kicked you out.

  “Your ma kicked you out too and who you callin names. If anyone’s a moppet you are. You’re the one that got us involved with Duffy in the first place. You heard what he said. If we come back empty handed, he’s going to bleedin’ well kill us.”

  Having heard enough, Charlie beckoned the two lads closer.

  “Listen lads, I won’t be calling the police if you leave now, empty handed and promise me you wont come back.”

  They stared at him, their eyes as wide as saucers. He handed both of them a couple of coins each. “Get yourself something to eat and then get over to Brooklyn. Duffy may think he rules New York but his reach doesn’t go quite that far. But I’m warnin’ you lads. If I see you round here again, Ned Duffy will be the least of your worries. Understand?”

  “Yes sir, thank you sir. We get yer meanin’. Come on Josh, let’s get out of here before he changes his mind.”

  The taller lad eyed Charlie, who stared back at him, keeping his face a stern mask. Inside he admired the young fella’s nerve but he wasn’t about to tell him that. If they didn’t get away from Ned Duffy and his gang of no accounts, they wouldn’t see the other side of eighteen. They’d either be dead or inside and he wouldn’t wish prison on any youngster no matter how uppity they acted.

  As he walked to his lodgings, his hands fisted at the thought of Duffy. The time had long gone when that curse on society should have been finished for good. His gran had stood up to him more than once but there was a limit to what one woman could do. The coppers wouldn’t touch him; he probably had the majority of them on his payroll. Much like the priests who seemed to think the sun shone out of his—

  “Charlie Doherty, well if you ain’t a sight for sore eyes. Are you callin’ in later?”

  “Not tonight, Rosie darlin. Got called out on a job so I have to leave at dawn,” Charlie said.

  As the girl pouted, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips and a pat on the backside. She squealed in mock protest, but moved closer to him.

  “It will put some coins in my pocket, so I’ll be back next week to buy you a little present.”

  “You promise Charlie?” she asked.

  “I just told ye didn’t I?” Charlie shouted back as he walked away. He knew Rosie wouldn’t be pining for long. She had a list of gentlemen friends who kept her in the fashion she had grown accustomed to. She was a real peach with a heart of gold. He’d fancied himself in love with her once but she’d told him straight. She wasn’t the marrying kind. She’d had one husband and that had been one too many. He wasn’t sure if Rosie’s man was dead or spending time on the government’s dollar, but either way she acted as a free agent.

  She answered to no one and that included the scum associated with Ned Duffy. It was Rosie who’d alerted him to Duffy’s latest past time. Taking young’uns’ out of the orphanage to work in his clubs. God only knew what Duffy told the nuns, but even the most gullible and innocent of holy sisters had to see Ned Duffy wasn’t offering a steady, secure, honest day’s work to the orphans he “adopted”. No, something had to be done about Duffy but, as yet, he wasn’t sure what.

  Chapter 5

  Lily watched, fascinated as the snowfall became heavier. She and the children picked out landmarks and then held competitions as to whose landmark would be the first to disappear from view. It was Lily’s way of distracting the children from the concerned mood prevailing the hotel. None of the adults remembered experiencing a storm as bad as this one.

  Alicia walked in calling her name. “Lily, where are you?”

  “In here with the boys.”

  “Ma, can we go out and play in the snow? Lily says it’s too cold but it looks like fun.”

  “Not today, Harry darling. It’s too dangerous,” Alicia said.

  At the downcast look on the child’s face, Lily promised him she would take him to build snowmen just as soon as his ma gave her permission. Alicia flashed her a grateful look but she still looked agitated.

  “What’s wrong?” Lily asked softly not wanting the boys to hear her.

  “Doc Erin needs help and, well, I did my best to assist her. But Lily, you know how I hate blood. Could you see if there’s anything you can do to help her? I can mind the children.”

  Lily simply nodded, too surprised by Alicia to make comment. Her normally unflappable friend was whiter than a sheet and looked as if she would keel over.

  “What happened?” Lily whispered as she drew Alicia completely out of earshot of the children.

  “I was downstairs talking to Erin when the door burst open and this man came in. I swear he was missing half his head. He seemed drunk, he was staggering all over the place. Aaron and Mick subdued him. Erin examined him. She doesn’t hold out much hope since the wound is so deep and he’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “Alicia put your head between your knees. Harry get your ma a blanket from the bed. Hurry now child. She will be fine, she’s just cold,” Lily instructed, then poured Alicia a cup of water. “You stay here. I’ll go help Doc.”

  Alicia smiled at her weakly, her eyes full of gratitude.

  Lily made her way as quickly as possible down the stairs. She wasn’t using the elevator; her stomach still didn’t like it. She stopped short as she entered the lobby. The hotel was full of people from all walks of life. Barefoot children mixed with ladies wearing furs. It was all a bit surreal. She saw Mr. Floyd, an agitated expression on his face, but she didn’t have time to worry about him now. She spotted Erin across the lobby and headed in her direction.

  “What can I do?” she asked as Erin spotted her.

  “Lily, thank goodness. Can you please check with housekeeping and see how many spare rooms there are in the hotel? These people have nowhere else to go and my guess is there are more following behind. Mick said the routes to the hospitals are now impassable. So we have to treat all wounded, injured, and those suffering the effect of the blizzard, here. Maybe you could organize some sheets and towels as well as rugs. And plenty of hot tea and coffee. No alcohol.”

  Lily’s brain raced while Erin gave her instructions. She knew whom to speak to first: Mrs. Murphy, the cook in the kitchen. She was the real boss downstairs regardless of what Mr. Floyd thought. Lily was sure she would help.

  “Lord above Miss Green, but have you ever seen the likes of this weather?” Cook greeted Lily as she made her way into the steaming hot hotel kitchens.

  “No, Mrs. Murphy, I haven’t. Can you please call me Lily? I need your help.”

  “What can I do?” Cook stood beside the stove, stirring a pot of something but her attention was fixed on Lily’s face.

  As soon as Lily explained what she needed, the cook sprung into action, ordering various maids to gather things for her. “Young Violet and Margaret will make up the beds in the lobby and seating areas. I guess the doctor won’t mind pallets on the floor. Trish, will you see to the upper floors? Most of the rooms should be made up but a couple might need some fires to take the chill off them. Tom and Jack, you go with Miss Lily and do exactly what she says. Do you hear me?”

  The boys took slightly too long to answer the cook and got cuffed around the ear. Mrs. Murphy didn’t really hurt them, but it got their attention. “Stop staring at the snow. It can’t hurt you but I can. Now go on and do as you’re told. I’ve already started on this soup, so I’ll just pad the recipe to make larger amounts. Nothing better to keep the chills away.”

  Lily nodded and smiled as the woman talked ninety to the dozen.

  “What did old slimy drawers think of this plan then?” Cook asked.

  Lily had to think for a minute before
she realized the woman was talking about her boss, Mr. Floyd.

  “I believe Doc Erin is a firm believer in asking for forgiveness rather than permission, Mrs. Murphy.”

  The cook’s guffaws made the kitchen staff stare at her. After a moment, Mrs. Murphy wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh I wish I had time to take a trip upstairs but best get on. No rest for the wicked is there dearie? Now you look after yourself. Make sure you call if you need anything else. I’ll have those teas and coffees up to you in a shake of a lamb’s tail.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Murphy,” Lily said, then returned to where Doc Erin was working. Her friend had patients already bandaged and in bed.

  “Lily, could you find Aaron or Mick and ask them to see what medicines we have? I have a little laudanum but not much else. How I wish Wilma was here. I could do with some of her dried herbs right now.”

  Lily wished Wilma, the woman who ran the orphanage back in Clover Springs, was here too. No better woman to get everything ship shape for Doc Erin, but she wasn’t there, so Lily would have to step up for the task.

  “I will doc. I know there is a store not far way, maybe someone can get to it. If we really need it.”

  “For now, we can use what we have. With any luck, the storm will be over in the morning.”

  But it wasn’t. If anything, it was worse. The snow fell on top of the previous day’s snowfall, compacting everything. There was no public transport, no carriages or other forms of convenience on the streets. Mr. Prentice had telephoned to say he was stuck at his residence. His was one of the few telephone calls to make it through. The blizzard was knocking down everything in its path from telephone poles to people. It destroyed indiscriminately.

  Lily wrung her hands as she stared out the window. Where were all the disadvantaged children and adults going to go now? Those same families she had spotted living on the streets last week would be out in the arctic conditions.

  Chapter 6

  Brooklyn

  Paul Headford dragged his feet through the snow, his ladder trailing behind him. He wanted to go home but it wasn’t possible at the moment. He thought staying with his uncle Michael would be fun, but instead Michael had insisted he work to earn his keep. If Paul didn’t know better, he’d swear his uncle liked making life hard for him. But it wasn’t true. Michael had gone out in the worst of the storms to get some food and made sure Paul stayed indoors. He had kept him safe, and although he had been dying to get out into the snow, after seeing how many people had died, he was glad Michael had been so sensible.

  It was his own fault he was trudging through the snow now. Michael had gotten sick of his bellyaching and told Paul to take his ladder and see how much money he could earn. Paul had grabbed the chance to show Michael he wasn’t a child anymore. But now that he had calmed down, he wished he were home sitting beside a warm fire. He wondered how his ma and da were. And his brother Jamie. He hoped they had all stayed indoors, although he knew his da would have been out delivering milk. He said a quick prayer for their safety.

  His stomach grumbled and the smells coming from the nearby café made it worse. His pockets were empty. Nobody was interested in having their windows washed or their chimneys swept. Not in this weather. He wished he had a shovel but even if he could afford one, he was too young to earn much money. The bosses preferred the larger men as they could move more weight.

  He saw a large crowd gathered at the bank of the East River. Curious to find out what was attracting so much attention, he pushed through until he saw for himself. The river was covered in ice, not one thick slab, but large and small pieces of ice all packed together like a bridge. People were speculating as to whether it was safe or not. As he watched, someone jumped down onto the ice and started jumping up and down. “It’s safe,” he shouted. “Safe as houses.”

  Paul listened as many people announced they wanted to use the new ice bridge to cross the river. But they had to find a way to climb down onto the ice. It was all very well for hardy young boys to jump down to that but it wasn’t suitable or seemingly for older gentlemen or ladies wearing dresses. They needed another way to get down.

  Paul saw his chance. Before they could change their mind, he shouted, “Five cents to use my ladder. Only five cents to get onto the bridge.”

  He lowered his ladder over the side before jumping down beside it, saying a quick prayer of thanks the ladder and himself didn’t sink the ice. Then, holding the ladder, he let the people climb down in return for his fee of five cents. Soon there was a file of people crossing the river over to Manhattan on the new ice bridge.

  Feeling very pleased with himself, his pockets full to bursting, Paul rented his ladder to a friend of Michael’s. He charged him one dollar. The friend would easily recoup that fee and more. Meanwhile, Paul—who was freezing at that point—wanted to warm up and have some breakfast. He climbed back up the ladder and crossed to a café where he took a seat nearest the stove and bought the biggest meal he could find. He couldn’t believe his good luck. As he tucked into his meal, he glanced out the café window, spotting two little boys, hands clasped together staring back in at him. His initial reaction was to ignore them, but the hunger on their faces pierced his conscience.

  He motioned at them to come inside. They actually looked behind them thinking he was gesturing to someone else. He finally convinced them he was pointing at them. They came into the café slowly, their faces filled with hope and fear. The café owner was about to show them the door when Paul spoke up.

  “They’re my guests. Let them have whatever they wish to eat.” Paul patted his bulging pocket. The café owner shrugged and took the children's orders before allowing them to come over to share the fire and Paul’s table.

  “Thank you, mister,” the older looking one said.

  “You're welcome. What're your names?”

  “Mark and Kevin.”

  “Where's your ma and da?” Paul asked.

  Mark just stared at him before he shrugged his shoulders.

  “You don’t know?”

  “Nope. We haven’t seen them in a long time. It’s just us.”

  Paul tried to hide his sympathy sensing Mark especially wouldn’t like it. Mark was doing his best to look after his younger brother although he only looked about eight years old. “Where did you go during the storm?”

  “We stayed in the church. The priest let us sleep in the crypt. Kevin didn’t like it, but it was warm and dry. We got kicked out this morning though as the storm is over.”

  The storm was over but the weather was still horrible. No place for young children dressed in rags.

  “The priest, he was lovely. He said we could stay as long as we liked but the other people told us to leave. Said we weren’t fit for their church,” Mark said.

  Paul shifted in his seat, trying to contain his anger. How could people treat children this way? He hoped the priest gave his congregation a lecture on loving one’s neighbor the next time he said mass. He was about to ask the boys where they were going to go now but the arrival of their food stopped the conversation. The boys started shoveling the food into their mouths.

  “Hey, slow down or you’ll be sick. Nobody will take it away, I promise.”

  Kevin looked at his big brother who nodded. They ate slower, well, slightly. Paul had finished his meal but was drinking another cup of hot coffee trying to work out what he would do now. Would he go back out on the ice or maybe he should borrow another ladder and set up a second business? As he pondered, the children sat staring out the window. They were reluctant to go back outside too. Paul couldn’t blame them wanting to stay in the warmth by the fire. He ordered some hot milk for them and watched their little faces light up as it arrived. It didn’t cost a lot to keep children happy.

  Before he'd made a decision on what to do next, they heard lots of whistles blowing and a crowd of policemen arrived. Someone ran into the café. “The ice is breaking. There's hundreds going to be drowned.”

  Chapter 7

  P
aul never saw anywhere empty so fast as everyone rushed outside to see what was going on. “Mark, stay here with your brother. I’ll be back in a bit. Keep this just in case.”

  He gave the little boy twenty cents before settling his bill and heading back to find out what had happened to his ladder.

  The ice was indeed moving, caused no doubt by the change in tide. Paul could see people panicking trying to get back to shore. He saw older ladies being carried by young men. He looked around frantically for his friend and ladder but couldn’t find them in the crowd. He didn’t want anything to happen to his friend but he couldn’t afford to lose the ladder either. He needed it for work. He pushed through the crowds coming up against a policeman who demanded he step away from the side.

  “I need my ladder. I’ll go once I got it,” Paul said, trying to convince the stony-faced man he was serious.

  “You can't go any farther. We don’t want any more fools on the ice.”

  “I am not trying to cross, I just want my ladder.” Paul protested but the policeman wasn’t listening. He was too busy trying to prevent more people from climbing down onto the ice. He was distracted so Paul bent under his arm and ran forward toward the shore. Spotting his friend, he moved quickly to his side, jumping onto the ice beside him. This time he felt the ice move under him. They didn’t have long.

  “Come on, you’ve had your turn. Give me the ladder back. I want to get home.”

  “Not yet, Paul boy. Lots more money to make.”

  Incredulous, Paul heard his friend charge a lady twenty-five cents to climb up the ladder to safety. Furious, he pulled his friend away from his ladder.

  “You'll not take advantage of those seeking safety. Get away with you.” He pushed his friend away and then helped the young lady get a hold of the ladder instructing her how to climb and protect her modesty at the same time. He helped a number of people get to safety without charging anyone a penny. A police officer came to berate him but when he realized he was helping, not charging, he gave him a clap on the back. “We need more like you. Ever think of joining the force? Could do with brave souls like you.”